Haydn Yorkshire
Haydn is the main male character of the series and appears in the first page of Volume 1, following Loto. He is a Christian missionary and accompanies Loto on her quest around the world to find an approved religion, although he initially wants her to convert to Christianity. toc Profile Physical Appearance Haydn is very slender with blondish-brown hair. He dresses simply--usually in a T-shirt and jeans with a hoody, but occasionally he will elaborate on his attire, particularly while in his hometown Innes. At 5'6" and 120 pounds, he is not physically intimidating but, rather, is agile and fast. Personality Prideful and elitist, Haydn does not always see the world from the perspectives of others, yet his heart is full of compassion. He is good-natured and gentle, seemingly incapable of hurting anyone; however, he will fight back if he feels he has no other choice. Although he is outwardly upbeat, Haydn nurtures a deep despair within and refuses to discuss his problems with others; rather, he locks himself away to sulk. Development Abilities and Powers Physical Skills Haydn is not phyiscally strong or aggressive and, initially, is frequently rescued by Loto. Embarrassed that a female is protecting him, he eventually learns to fight. While he grows frustrated that Loto endangers herself in taking care of him, he displays no desire to physically alter his body but prefers to use the resources he has. During the Shangri-La Saga, Haydn begins to incorporate speed into his combat skills and, at one point, saves Loto from being thrown into a tree by sprinting to her aid at an abnormal speed. As he learns to utilize his body's abilities, he comes to term with the falw in his culture's idea of manhood and grows more comfortable with Loto's more masculine physical prowess. Magical Powers Haydn possesses no magical abilities. Friendships Haydn and Loto At the beginning of the series, Haydn blatantly dislikes Loto, yet he attempts to bond with her primarily out of obligation, as it is his religious duty to convert her. He initially sees Loto as brash, hot-headed, mean-spirited, and domineering. Over time he opens his heart to her as he begins to respect her candidness and soon acknowledges her intelligence. Haydn also experiences difficulty bonding with Loto because of his own personal flaws. Having grown up in a society that promotes archaic attitudes towards women, he feels uncomfortable with her strength and competitiveness. That he is unable to fulfill his culture's standards for manhood due to his feminine physique and character, he is insecure about his ability to be Loto's friend and partner. Haydn and Barika In the development of the series, Haydn was initially going to fall in love with Barika as he was more comfortable with her femininity and unaggressive demeanor. However, he merely forms a platonic friendship with the woman. Although they don't interact much on a personal level, Haydn is very accepting of her cultural traditions and religious beliefs. Haydn and Ursula Early in the series, Haydn is smitten with Ursula as she is able to comfortably conform to his culture's idea of a traditional woman. She is beautiful, slim, feminine, sweet, and prissy...until Loto kills her father. As Ursula begins to lose her faculties, Haydn grows less interested in her romantically and seeks her friendship in hopes that he could heal her brokeness. Even after she kidnaps him, he still continues to offer his companionship. After Loto smudges her, Haydn maintains a safe distance from her in fear that he will reawaken her inner demons. Haydn and Lozen Haydn arguably has a friendship with Lozen despite that she kidnaps and tortures him during the Shangri-La Saga. Although he initially perceives Lozen as an adversary, he begins to sympathize for her, a symptom of Stockholm Syndrome. He attempts to elicit her "good side" by treating her with kindness, but when Lozen discovers she is pregnant, she beats him so badly that he escapes and eventually fights her at Loto's side. Haydn and Lupe Haydn and Lupe are childhood friends. While he adores her and deeply cares for her, he is not romantically attracted to her. He fears that his emotional intimacy with her will only create more tension between them, so he detaches himself from her. Lupe resents him for this but never expresses it to him. Family Parents Haydn's parents are well-educated and arguably conform to a white, upper-middle class stereotype. His mother, Sabrina Carpenter-Yorkshire, is a human resources specialist, while his father, David Yorkshire-Carpenter, is a structural engineer. As an intellectually progressive wife and husband, they decided to combine one another's last names by hyphening them. Because Haydn is the youngest in the family, his parents are more inclined to baby him. During the brief period of time in which Haydn was catatonic, this tendency to baby him increased, and, though he recovered from this illness, they continued to shelter him. Siblings Haydn has an older sister, Julie Carpenter, and brother, Howard Yorkshire, but they are mentioned only once. Because they are several years older, their relationship with him is distant. Haydn also left his family at 18 to undergo training as a missionary, so he never fostered a solid relationship with them in adulthood. Relationships Haydn and Emmy Haydn had his first relationship at age 16. Emmy was a naive and popular new sophomore at his high school, and Haydn was instantly infatuated with her. She initially disliked him as his friend, Keiji, tainted his reputation as a joke (although it is implied that Keiji might have been jealous of his affection for her). However, when Emmy is threatened at school by an older classmate, Haydn stands up for her. He is initially beaten up by the senior student, but, with Lupe's help, he managed to punch him out cold. Although he kissed Lupe following the fight, he rejected her for Emmy, who eventually dumped him two weeks later. Haydn and Lupe Haydn's relationship with Lupe is complex and strained, yet loving and affectionate as well. He met her at age 7 when she chased off a group of bullies who were harassing him. From that point on, Lupe stood by his side as a friend, yet she also longed for him as a romantic partner. Haydn frequently treats Lupe like a male friend and dismisses her attempts at winning his heart. He fails to acknowledge her beauty and worth, yet Lupe continues to remain loyal to him as a friend. While in Innes with Loto, Haydn sleeps with Lupe for the purpose of escaping his feelings for the Veruki. It is implied that the sexual experience was not pleasant, and Haydn takes the blame. At this point, Lupe passive-aggressively encourages Haydn to pursue Loto, the woman he truly loves. Haydn and Loto At age 14, Haydn met Loto and instantly loved her. Having been beaten and tortured into a state of catatonia, Loto was the only person to whom he would respond. While his friends and family perceived him as broken and weak, Loto accepted him as he truly was and comforted him in his despair. Eventually, her abrupt departure from his home pulled him out of his catatonic state, and he grew determined to find her. This period of time is what inspired him to become a missionary, so that he could travel around the region in search of Loto. However, in the six years that passed, his memory of her faded and was replaced by Biblical scripture, new friends, new relationships, and his entrance into adulthood. Haydn's relationship with Loto is one of uncertainty despite his deep affection for her. Because of their past together, one that had been forgotten by both of them, Haydn experiences trouble piecing together his memory of Loto--a quiet, soft-spoken, and unusual woman--with that of the "current" Loto--a boisterous, aggressive, and powerful woman. His mind has split her into two distinct personalities, and only when Loto reveals both sides of herself is he able to come to term with his emotions. He feels that he does not reciprocate enough in their relationship and is constantly trying to compensate for this power imbalance, which greatly irritates Loto. His actions are often misinterpreted by Loto as attempts at being macho and in control. When they aren't arguing, Haydn feels safe with Loto, both physically and emotionally. He admires Loto for her intelligence, strength, sense of humor, and compassion but is somewhat self-conscious about their cultural differences. His male friends criticize him for not sexually fetishizing her as an exotic "National Geographic" pinup girl, and he worries that Loto will be vulnerable in his unaccepting and racist world.